


The View From Outer Space

by a_grumpy_kitty



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Canon Divergence, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, POV Alternating, they're dumb and they're in love!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23017423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_grumpy_kitty/pseuds/a_grumpy_kitty
Summary: Two drunk raven boys talk about space, loneliness, and attempt to talk about feelings.
Relationships: Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish
Comments: 3
Kudos: 54





	The View From Outer Space

The sounds of pulsing electronic music and overly excited teenagers flooded Adams’s ear. He hadn’t even really wanted to come to this party in the first place, having been dragged along with Gansey by Blue and Ronan. The latter had claimed that both Gansey and himself had been ‘too uptight lately’ and ‘needed to go out and be actual teenagers for once’. Adam still wasn’t sure why he said yes, but he thought it might have something to do with the way Ronan's eyes shined with mischief when he asked. An hour in and Adam was miserable. The music was too loud for his hearing ear, and being pushed around by sweaty bodies wasn’t making things any better. His friends had all seemingly disappeared within minutes of arriving, leaving Adam alone to wander, refilling his cup every time he passed by the kitchen on one of his laps around the house. He was around 3 or 4 beers deep at this point, he guessed. He wasn’t drunk yet, but a warm glow flushed his cheeks and he felt much floatier than when he had arrived. Just tipsy enough to say something stupid if he wasn’t careful. After another lap and another beer, Adam decided he had had enough of the thumping music and the uncomfortably close crowd and exited the house through the back door, sitting down on one of the bottom steps of the deck. Somehow the party had stayed contained inside, leaving Adam alone in the warm night. The hum of cicadas replaced the overwhelming music and Adam let out a long breath he didn’t know he was holding. He picked at the chipping wood beneath him and let a calm wave wash over him. He didn’t hear the door open from above him and only noticed the appearance of another person as he heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs to sit next to him.   
“I can always tell it’s you by how heavy those damn boots are.” Adam continued to stare straight ahead, not bothering to look at the person beside him, already knowing it was Ronan. 

*

Ronan Lynch was a loud drunk. Sober Ronan was stoic and dark, and maybe an asshole if you asked certain people, but Drunk Ronan was almost the opposite. Drunk Ronan was loud, much brighter than usual, in the way that grey is brighter than black and if he had already had a few drinks before he even got to the party, well that was nobody's business but his. He had stayed with Adam for the first drinks of the night but something about seeing Adam in the warm lights of the house, cheeks flushed after only one drink had Ronan feeling too hot himself. He disappeared into the crowd soon after, drunk enough to know he would inevitably say something stupider than he would have the guts to say sober. He kept drinking, more and more until he felt the walls around him melting down. He was saying something with no meaning behind it, arm slung around some random dude who was willing to listen when he spotted Adam exiting through the back door from across the room. He moved his arm off the stranger and made his way across the floor. The warm air felt good on Ronan’s skin as he descended the stairs, sitting next to Adam when he reached the bottom.   
“I can always tell it’s you by how heavy those damn boots are.” Adam wasn’t looking at him as he spoke even though Ronan wished he would.   
“You drunk?” Ronan spoke, he turned his head forward too so that they were both looking out at the trees lining the backyard.  
“Maybe a little.” Adam’s words were slurred just the smallest amount. Even in the dark Ronan could see the red flush of his cheeks. Before Ronan could speak again, Adam spoke up.  
“You know how astronauts always say they miss the earth when they look at it from space?”  
“The fuck are you talking about, Parrish?”  
“I dunno. It’s like, sometimes, the more you look at something, the more you miss it.” Adam turned his head to look at Ronan. His accent was heavy with the effect of alcohol.  
“Yeah? So what about now? Do you miss me?” Ronan asked as a small smirk broke out on his face. Adam turned his head back forward.  
“Sometimes.” he answered. Ronan wasn’t sure how he was supposed to answer that, so instead, he leaned over and rested his head on Adam’s shoulder. Only Drunk Ronan would have had the courage to do such a simple thing. He could feel Adam’s shoulders tense up, before relaxing and letting Ronan tuck his face into the curve where his shoulder met his neck. 

*

The soft shaved hair of Ronan’s head softly tickled Adam’s neck. He closed his eyes and let the feeling of Ronan being so close wash over him. He had begun to sober up the longer he sat outside but somehow this had made him feel drunker than he had been all night. He didn’t know quite how bad he had wanted this, just some form of human contact, until now. Ronan shifted and pressed farther into the crook of Adam’s neck.  
“Parrish.” Ronan murmured. The low bass of his voice vibrated against Adam’s neck. Adam hummed in answer.   
“Parrish.” Ronan said it louder and less mumbly this time.   
“What?”  
“I need to tell you something.” Adam’s heart suddenly picked up and felt stuck in his throat.   
“Um, ok.” He could hear his blood rushing in his ear as he waited for Ronan to speak again.  
“I just, uh. I just wanted to say that you’re my best friend.” There was hesitation in Ronan’s voice like he was holding back what he really wanted to say but then again that could just be wishful thinking on Adam’s part. His heart sank just a little.  
“Oh. You’re my best friend too, Ronan.” He hoped the disappointment wasn’t evident in his voice. He wasn’t even sure why he was disappointed.   
“Good.” Ronan replied. Adam’s whole body felt like it had begun to sink.

*

‘You’re my best friend.’ Why the fuck did I say that?’ Ronan thought to himself. His head was still resting on Adam’s shoulder even though he felt like he ought to have moved by now. That isn’t what he had wanted to say but his buzz had faded just enough that he knew saying what he actually wanted to was a bad idea, but still tipsy enough to try anyway. He had backed out as soon as Adam answered, just like he always did. When Adam answered him, he thought that maybe the other boy sounded disappointed in what Ronan had said but that wasn’t likely. He decided it didn’t matter if he told Adam now, or if he ever told him. Having Adam in any way was okay with Ronan because at least it was still Adam. He could be okay with being just friends forever if it meant that he could lay his head on Adam’s shoulder even just this once. Maybe this is just what being in love is like. Like somehow nothing was enough but at the same time, everything was. The two of them sat in the quiet night for a long time after that. Ronan had only meant to close his eyes briefly but quickly fell to the brink of sleep. A movement underneath his head startled him fully awake. The movement was Adam, shrugging Ronan off of himself and stretching out his arms. Ronan sat up and stared at his friend with a sleep laced look. Even in the dark Adam was the most beautiful thing Ronan had ever seen. 

*

He wasn’t sure when they had both drifted off, but when Adam woke up, his head was resting on top of Ronan’s and the other boy was breathing softly like he was just on the edge of really sleeping. Adam’s shoulders were sore, and when he looked up towards where the party was, he could tell things had begun to wind down. He shrugged the shoulder Ronan was leaning on a few times to bring his friend back into full consciousness. Ronan looked at him with sleepy eyes as Adam stretched out.   
“The party’s almost over, I think. We should probably find Blue and Gansey.” Adam said, standing up and to now stretch his legs. Ronan nodded in agreement, still a little foggy from alcohol and sleep. Adam reached a hand down to help pull Ronan up, but instead, Ronan pulled him down making the two of them roll down a step and end up flat on their asses in the dew-covered grass.   
“What the fuck, Ronan?”   
“Just shut up and lay with me for a minute.”  
“Wh-“  
“Please.” Ronan hardly ever asked anyone for anything, let alone ask Adam so he did what his friend asked. He shut up and laid in the grass beside his friend.   
“I kind of get what you mean now. About the astronauts and shit.” Adam knew Ronan was looking at him, but he felt incapable of looking back. There had been a thick feeling of something between them since Ronan first came outside tonight but Adam didn’t quite know what it was. It wasn't an unusual type of feeling when he was around Ronan lately, but right now, he felt like he was choking on it.   
“If you were in space, what do you think you’d miss most about the earth?” Adam asked him, looking up at the sky. Ronan took a long pause before turning onto his side and propping himself up on one elbow, just barely leaning over Adam.   
“You, probably.” Ronan's voice was low as he spoke, more hesitant than Adam had ever heard him.   
“What? Why would you- I mean why- “ Adam sat up and began to ramble, his heart rate picking up once again.   
“Adam.” Ronan interrupted. Adam closed his mouth and turned to look directly at his friend. Ronan sat fully up too so they were both looking right at the other.   
“I don’t-“ Before he could finish his sentence, Ronan leaned over and kissed Adam. It was nothing like Adam had ever imagined, not that he had ever imagined kissing Ronan. Because he hadn’t, he swears. But if he had thought about it, he would have thought it would have been a bruising kiss, hard and sharp and strong just like Ronan was. But instead, the kiss was soft, just a press of lips to let Adam know what Ronan had really been trying to say all night. When he pulled back, there was an unreadable look on Ronan’s face.   
“Oh.” Adam didn’t get a chance to say anything else before Ronan was on his feet, moving fast across the yard. Adam called out his name, but Ronan kept moving.   
“Ronan, fucking stop!” Adam yelled once Ronan got all the way to the gate leading to the street. 

*

The only thing on Ronan’s mind was that he was an idiot. An absolute fuckup who had just ruined one of the only good parts of his life. Adam was yelling his name behind him but he could barely hear it, all he wanted to do was just leave.   
“Ronan, fucking stop!”   
Ronan paused at the gate, back turned to Adam as his friend caught up with him.   
“Look at me.” Ronan refused, still staring out at the street ahead of him.   
“Look at me, asshole.” There was a bite to Adam’s tone, but it wasn’t mean. It was demanding but there was a sense of affection to it. Ronan squeezed briefly squeezed his eyes shut tight before turning around. He opened his mouth to apologize but then a pair of lips were on his. Out of all the reactions, he thought Adam would have, this was not one of them. It took a long moment before Ronan really took in what was happening, but as soon as he did he lifted his hands to the sides of Adam’s head and kissed him deeper. Adam sighed into his mouth and grabbed Ronan by the waist and pulled him closer. When they finally pulled apart, Ronan rested his forehead against Adam’s.  
“I think I'm in love with you. I also don’t think I really knew that until just now.” Adam whispered quietly, and for a few moments, Ronan thought that maybe he’d died, that maybe this was some kind of heaven when he loved Adam and Adam loved him and everything was perfect. But Ronan wasn’t dead, he knew because he could feel Adams fingers digging into his hips hard enough to ground him and god, he hoped it would never stop.   
“Ronan, I need you to say something back before I lose my mind here.” Ronan just kissed him. And then kissed him again. And then once more after that.  
“Adam Parrish, I’ve loved you since the day I met you and haven't stopped since and I hope to god you keep letting me.”   
“I think that might be the most un-Ronan like thing I’ve ever heard you say.”  
“Shut the fuck up.”  
“There he is.” Adam leaned up and kissed Ronan once again, short and soft. Ronan took Adam's hand gently led him through the gate and back to the street. Gansey, the designated driver, was standing leaning against the Pig. Blue was asleep in the front seat, head slumped against the window.   
“Some night you two had, huh?” Gansey wore a knowing look on his face as he walked around to the driver’s side door. Adam and Ronan slid into the back seat, hands still intertwined.   
“Fuck off, dick.”


End file.
